ان هذا اخي له تسع وتسعون نعجة ولي نعجة واحدة فقال اكفلنيها وعزني في الخطاب

إِنَّ هَـٰذَآ أَخِى لَهُۥ تِسْعٌ وَتِسْعُونَ نَعْجَةً وَلِىَ نَعْجَةٌ وَٰحِدَةٌ فَقَالَ أَكْفِلْنِيهَا وَعَزَّنِى فِى ٱلْخِطَابِ

3izza , besides glory ,also refers to ability to overwhelm. hence satan swearing by Allahs 3izza  to mislead mankind by overwhelming them with his influence.  Perfect attribute to use in that oath as it pertains to the subject matter,  as is the case with all oaths in the Quran. 

This passage talks about two brothers who entered upon Prophet Dawud AS, and one of them complained that the other had asked him and pressured him into giving him him his only sheep (despite having 99 of his own). 

Prophet Dawud responded by saying that his brother had wronged him and was unjust by asking him for this sheep. Mufti Shafi' Uthmani explains in Ma'ariful Quran that this shows us that: 

1. Asking something from someone whilst may not be a crime in itself, it does end up being a crime, unjust and illegally taking if the person you are asking does not have the complete autonomy to really say no or to refuse. This could be perhaps because of the influence/power you have over them (socially or otherwise), or perhaps the pressure you are putting them under to give etc 

2. If you do ask someone for something, and they feel they don't have a choice whether to give it to you or not (i.e. for whatever reason they feel they must give it to you), this 'gift' is not permissible for you to use. 

3. He then goes onto explain this needs to be carefully considered when asking for donations for charitable projects too. Furthermore, his son Mufti Taqi Uthmani explains elsewhere that if you are writing in wedding invites 'no boxed gifts' and if this pressures people to give cash when their heart doesn't want to, this is the use of wealth without the happiness of the heart. There is a lot of uncertainty regarding whether such [wedding] gifts are ḥalāl. [The Prophet of Allah ﷺ said:] The wealth of any Muslim person is not ḥalāl except with the happiness of his heart. Also, if you take someone’s wealth without the happiness of his heart, the repentance and compensation will only be complete if you return it. 

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Whilst the above discussion is primarily about wealth, what scares me personally is how much time, headspace, resources have I taken from people who felt they couldn't say no to me due to social/familial pressure or perhaps for reputational damage or to protect themselves from harm from me or others? (Allah forgive me 😭). This is very scary. Just today I asked a family member for a favour, and although I told her she should feel free to say no, I had a nagging doubt that perhaps she may not feel comfortable to say no to me? Alhamdulillah, Allah then blessed me with the reading of this ayah and Tafsir, and immediately I realised that because of our relationship (me being an in-law to her), maybe she feels she can't say no to me, so it was wrong of me to ask her for that favour to begin with. Allah forgive me and guide me and us all to what is pleasing to Him. Ameen. 

It is always better to give than to ask. I have to make a mental note on this. Barakallahu feeki. 

In the Name of Allaah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate,

I have read the story of Dawud Alahis salaam and the test that he underwent regarding his judgement for the possession of sheep. Initially, I did not quite understand it very well if I am being honest, I wanted to understand it better in order to apply the lessons here. So previously I prayed to Allah to allow me to understand it and take lesson from it. 

This Ramadan as I passed through this story again, I realised that in our lives we will be asked for our opinions and judgement on a matter(s), or that we will be required to form judgements. Dawud Alahis salaam’s story is important in highlighting that we should be just and not to be quick and rash in coming to judgement(s). We should listen to both parties and not speak in haste. 

I really love how quickly Dawud Alahis salaam realises his mistake and how quickly he repents. We are human and sometimes we falter even the most intelligent or God fearing amongst us. It is a wonderful example to follow; we should be quick in seeking Allaah’s forgiveness; acknowledging our shortcomings and errors. We should learn from our mistakes and always remain humble and ask Allah to guide and strengthen our faith.

If we are being asked to judge or arbitrate between two parties, as with everything this is a test for us too and not to be taken lightly or with haste. Listen carefully and attentively to administer justice and fairness.

Don’t be hasty in forming judgements, listen to all sides but definitely be prompt and sincere  with repentance.

Jazaki Allah khayran for your comment sister I could not agree more. It is heartwarming to see you also reflecting upon this story 😊 May Allaah grant us good understanding of His book so we are able to implement better actions ameen. 

Renungan: Saad 38:23